Alfajores are a type of cookie found in South America and Spain. The Spanish version is made with honey and almonds, while the South American version has layers of biscuit or cake with a filling. The word alfajor comes from an Arabic word meaning filled. They originated in the Middle East and were brought to South America via the Iberian Peninsula. The most common South American alfajor has two white flour cookies with a dulce de leche filling, but there are other variations with different fillings and coatings. Havanna is a popular maker of alfajores.
An alfajor is a type of cookie commonly found in South American countries and Spain. A Spanish alfajor, while having the same name, is quite different from the alfajores of South America. Spanish alfajor is a pastry made with honey, almonds and spices and is usually eaten around the Christmas holidays. South American alfajores are made with layers of biscuit or cake-like confection, most commonly two layers, between which is a filling of one type or another.
The filling in the middle is what makes an alfajor an alfajor. In fact, the word alfajor comes from an Arabic word meaning filled or padded. As its etymological roots suggest, the alfajor confection originated in the Middle East. Alfajor is thought to have been brought from the Middle East to the Iberian Peninsula, and from there to South America. Alfajor has been very popular in South America since the mid-20th century, especially in the countries of Argentina and Uruguay. Alfajor is also particularly popular in Peru, but can also be found in Ecuador, Paraguay and Brazil.
The most common type of South American alfajor is made with two white flour cookies sandwiched with a dulce de leche filling. Other fillings include jam, chocolate, or a filling called manjar blanco, which is made with milk and similar to dulce de leche, but is white instead of caramel in color. In some alfajores, the cookie or cake layer is chocolate flavored.
The alfajor can be naked or have a coating of powdered sugar, chocolate, white chocolate. Another coating found on many alfajores is meringue, a crunchy coating made from sugar and egg whites. This type of coating is known as a “snow coating” because it looks like white snow tops. An afajor with a meringue topping is called an “alfajor de nieve,” which means alfajor snow. When the alfajor has no coating, it will often be rolled in coconut shavings, which adhere to the sticky dulce de leche filling and keep the filling from getting anywhere.
A “triple alfahor” is a double-layered alfajor, with a third cookie in the middle. A very popular and widely known maker of alfajores is Havanna. Havanna stores offer alfajores in traditional flavors, including the signature “black alfajores,” which are covered in dark chocolate, and “white alfajores,” which are covered in white chocolate. Other more creative combinations include peanuts and walnuts.
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